Daniel Levy feared up to TEN first-team players could leave Tottenham Hotspur if Jose Mourinho had remained in charge, according to EuroSport. 

Why? 

Such was the level of disillusion under the Portuguese, there are thought to have been concerns that a number of players would have asked to leave Spurs had the chairman refused to act earlier this week. 

The likes of Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Gareth Bale were all major worries while players such as Harry Winks, Davinson Sanchez and Hugo Lloris had been linked with moves away from the club during Mourinho's reign. 

Indeed, the idea of keeping Mourinho at the expense of his three favourite players (Bale, Kane and Alli) was too much for Levy and he will now attempt to keep them all in North London beyond this summer. 

Who could come in to replace Mourinho? 

RB Leipzig coach Julian Nagelsmann has been strongly linked with the post but, speaking on the Totally Football Show's European Edition yesterday, The Athletic's Raphael Honigstein suggested that it was unlikely the German outfit would let him go. 

Meanwhile, the likes of Gareth Southgate and Roberto Martinez have also been touted as potential targets as Levy looks for a manager with a more attacking profile to take charge of the team from this summer. 

What has Harry Kane said about Mourinho's departure? 

Following the news that the former Chelsea and Manchester United boss had been sacked for the third time in a row, Kane - who The Independent claimed was largely Mourinho's only ally towards the end - posted a message on Twitter. 

"Thank you for everything Boss," it read.

"A pleasure to have worked together. I wish you all the best for your next chapter."

Where do we go from here? 

Ryan Mason will take charge of the first-team until the end of the season and The Guardian have claimed that Levy is focusing his search on two criteria. Indeed, not only does he reportedly want an attack-minded manager but also someone with a proven track record of developing young players.

The EuroSport report also reveals that Tottenham still have the first option to sign Gareth Bale in the summer and could yet do so on similar terms, though will wait and see what happens between now and the end of the season. 

For Dele Alli, meanwhile, a new manager coming in could offer a new lease of life. Frozen out under Mourinho, perhaps there will be another chapter in his career at Spurs.